Monday, November 10, 2008

Kyle is being quite dedicated to work these days which leaves me with more free time on my hand than I've had in the past. Courtney asked me the other day what I do at night now that Kyle is so busy, and I didn't have a very good answer. (last week: watched DVR'd episodes of House; ruined a batch of bread; ate lots of cheese and crackers, stared at my stash of winter squash and tried to drum up some motivation.)

So this Saturday while Kyle was at work, I took on a chair recovering project that I've been planning to do for a while now but didn't have all the right supplies etc. etc. excuses. excuses.

In September 2007, my grandmother came and spent the month in Boston and we had a fantastic time. One of our trips was to the September Brimfield show, which is the largest, most mind-blowing, amazing antique and flea market in New England. We came away with four of these GORGEOUS mahogany Rococo revival style balloon back chairs, from about 1840-1870.

I love them, but as you can see the upholstery was stained (this chair was the worst) and worn, so I wanted to recover them.

I love anything graphic; I think Kyle is sick of me suggesting that we cover our walls with words and maps and random typography. So of course when I saw chairs recovered in printed grain sacks and other reused printed fabric, I was sold. I love reusing old fabrics, and I love the graphic element.

Finding these sacks is fairly easy, but linen and hemp (often from France) can easily set you back $40-$50/yard. So I got a little more creative and started searching for burlap.

I enlisted my Dad's help because he is good at finding the really random things I ask for. It's a gift of his. And sure enough, on Friday night I got a box from home with four burlap coffee bags, complete with a few mummified beans.

With our coffee table serving as my elevated work surface, I covered three of the chairs on Saturday.This wasn't a full reupholstering job. I don't know how to replace and repair springs (which I think will need to be done eventually), so this just went over the existing upholstery. I also think this is the least invasive option, so when the time comes, the mini staples I used can be easily removed.

I'm excited about them. I love the worn print and the slightly rough burlap contrasted to the graceful curves and workmanship of the chairs. And I think the colors of the burlap and coffee-brown ink really enhance the mahogany.

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About K+A

Kyle and Alli live and work out of their house now that they are the proud owners of a home [loan]! They have two awesome babies (code names: Hamish and Fauntleroy). They are still on a big adventure, but this one earns fewer frequent flier miles. They are still--thank the Lord!--each other's favorite.